Judgments of 2024

The case concerned a plot of land allotted by the West Bengal Relief and Rehabilitation Department to a refugee family that migrated from East Pakistan in 1950. The lease deed was initially executed in the name of Smt. Hem Prova Basak, but the government later ordered inclusion of the two younger brothers' names and ev…

The petitioners sought a blanket prohibition on the installation of overhead transmission lines for solar power across roughly 99,000 square kilometres in Rajasthan and Gujarat, arguing that such lines threaten the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB). The Supreme Court had earlier ordered the conversion of…

The case concerned transfers of workmen between the appellant's two factories in Pune and Sirsi, which were challenged by the trade union on the ground that the standing orders, as amended in 1999, did not permit such transfers. The High Court had held the amendment invalid and declared the transfers illegal, while als…

The appellant, M. Vijayakumar, was convicted under IPC sections 306, 342 and 365 for allegedly kidnapping and wrongfully confining the deceased, leading to the latter's suicide. The prosecution argued that the appellant’s abduction and confinement forced the victim to commit suicide, thereby satisfying the elements of …

The appellant Ram Singh was convicted under Sections 301, 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code for the death of his mother-in-law, based on eyewitness testimony that he fired a pistol at the informant but the bullet struck the mother. The prosecution failed to recover the alleged weapon, did not obtain a ballistic repo…

The petitioners, Ram Nath and others, challenged prosecutions under Sections 272 and 273 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for alleged adulteration and sale of noxious food, arguing that the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSSA) had an overriding effect. The State of Uttar Pradesh contended that simultaneous prosecut…

The appellant, Sunny @ Santosh Dharmu Bhosale, was convicted under Section 302 IPC for the death of Gopal Bhosale, who was allegedly assaulted with a bamboo stick after a quarrel over a loan. The prosecution alleged that the appellant abused the householder and his wife, was confronted by the deceased, and subsequently…

The case arose from allegations that a piece of evidence (an underwear) seized in a 1990 NDPS case was tampered with after being released from judicial custody, leading to the conviction of an Australian national being set aside and a subsequent FIR being lodged against court staff and a junior lawyer for conspiracy an…

The Supreme Court examined whether mobile service providers (MSPs) could claim CENVAT credit on excise duties paid for mobile towers and prefabricated buildings (PFBs) used in their networks. The dispute arose from conflicting decisions of the Bombay High Court, which held the towers and PFBs to be immovable property a…

The appellant was charged under Sections 376(2)(n) and 506 of the IPC for an alleged forceful sexual relationship and intimidation, based on an FIR filed in 2019. The complainant claimed the appellant had threatened her and refused to marry her after a consensual relationship that began in 2017. The High Court rejected…

The Supreme Court examined a dispute arising from the acquisition of 56.14 bighas of land for a safety zone around a cement plant, where the original award of compensation was paid by Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) and a supplementary award was later issued. The key issue was whether the liability for the supplementar…

OPG Power Generation (the appellant) and its holding company Gita Power were sued by Enexio Power Cooling Solutions for unpaid amounts under supply and erection orders for an air‑cooled condenser unit. The arbitral tribunal held that Gita Power, as the holding company, was bound by the arbitration agreement and jointly…

The appellants, children of a tenant who died in 1970, claimed that they inherited tenancy rights under the West Bengal Premises Tenancy Act, 1956, which were later purportedly extinguished by the 1997 Act. The landlord sought eviction, relying on a deposition in an unrelated case as an admission that the tenancy was i…

The Supreme Court examined criminal appeals filed in the name of Bhagwan Singh, who alleged that his son‑in‑law and daughter had fabricated vakalatnamas, affidavits and other documents to lodge a Special Leave Petition and related proceedings without his knowledge, thereby attempting to falsely implicate Ajay Katara, a…

The deceased, Neelam, died from extensive burn injuries within seven years of her marriage to the son of the appellants, who were her father‑in‑law and mother‑in‑law. The prosecution alleged that the accused demanded a motorcycle and Rs 50,000 as dowry and threatened her, invoking the presumption of dowry death under S…

The AMP Group and the JRS Group entered into a Family Arrangement Agreement (FAA) containing an arbitration clause, and later sought to appoint a sole arbitrator under Section 11(6) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The petition raised two questions: the scope of the referral court’s jurisdiction after the…

The Supreme Court, hearing a suo motu writ petition concerning the murder and alleged rape of a 31‑year‑old trainee doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College Hospital, Kolkata, observed that the incident and subsequent mob vandalism highlighted systemic failures in ensuring safety for medical professionals. The Court noted th…

The appellant, Gautam Kumar Das, lost his wife and father to COVID-19 shortly after the birth of his daughter Sugandha and temporarily handed her over to his late wife's sister. After remarrying, he sought to regain custody, filing a petition under the Guardians and Wards Act and later a habeas corpus writ, but the Del…

The appellant, sister‑in‑law of Abdul Raoof, challenged his detention under Section 3 of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange & Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA) and the subsequent confirmation order, alleging that the detaining authority had not supplied WhatsApp chat records that were relied upo…

The Supreme Court examined a criminal appeal filed by the State of West Bengal against a High Court order that set aside the conviction of a 25‑year‑old accused under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and Sections 376(2)(n) and 376(3) of the IPC for raping a 14‑year‑old girl who later gave birth to his child. The Court held t…

Ravi Agrawal filed a writ petition seeking retrospective application of the Finance Act, 2022 amendment to section 80DD of the Income Tax Act, which allows a subscriber to discontinue payments to a Jeevan Adhar scheme upon attaining the age of 60 and to use the accumulated benefit. He argued that the amendment should a…

The appellants, meritorious candidates from reserved categories who studied in government schools, were denied MBBS seats under the Unreserved Government School (UR‑GS) quota for the 2023‑24 academic session because the State of Madhya Pradesh applied a flawed methodology in allocating horizontal and vertical reservati…

The appellant, a Maharashtra domicile whose father is a BSF constable posted outside the state, secured a provisional MBBS seat under the OBC/NCL category but his admission was cancelled without notice. He challenged the cancellation, invoking clause 4.8 of the NEET‑UG 2023 Information Brochure which allows children of…

The appellant, A.M. Mohan, was charged under Section 420 read with Section 34 of the IPC along with co‑accused for alleged cheating. He filed a petition under Section 482 of the CrPC seeking quashment of the FIR, arguing that the FIR and charge‑sheet did not disclose the essential ingredient of dishonest inducement req…

The appellant, a Havaldar in the Indian Army, was discharged in 2001 after being diagnosed with AIDS based on a medical report that linked his HIV-positive status with neuro‑tuberculosis. He challenged the discharge, arguing that the diagnosis was erroneous, his CD4 count remained above the threshold prescribed in the …

M/s Bisco Limited imported 595 cases of second‑hand steel‑mill machinery to be stored in a notified public bonded warehouse. Because heavy rain made the warehouse inaccessible, the appellant obtained permission from the Superintendent under Section 64(d) to unload 264 cases outside the warehouse but within its factory …

The appellant was accused of murdering his nephew, a two‑and‑a‑half‑year‑old child, whose body was later recovered from a well after the appellant allegedly confessed to the victim's father (PW‑1). The trial court acquitted the appellant, finding the extra‑judicial confession unreliable and the circumstantial evidence …

Manoj Kumar applied for a primary school teacher post advertised by the Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute. The Institute allocated marks for additional qualifications, granting 6 marks for a PG Degree, but denied Kumar those marks on the ground that his degree was not in the relevant subject, causing him to lose the se…

Dr. Suman V. Jain, a permanent principal of a college run by Marwadi Sammelan Trust, submitted a prospective resignation on 25 March 2003 effective from 24 September 2003. The Trust accepted the resignation on 8 April 2003, calling it "final, binding and irrevocable," and later rejected her request to withdraw the resi…

The appellants were acquitted under Section 135(1)(b) of the Customs Act, 1962, and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence filed an appeal against the acquittal under Section 378 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, after a 72‑day delay, seeking condonation under Section 5 of the Limitation Act, 1963. The Delhi Hi…

The respondents claimed that a lease (patta) of a government grazing land was granted to them by the Gram Panchayat in 1959 and filed a suit for permanent injunction without seeking a declaration of title. The appellants argued that the Panchayat lacked authority to lease the land, the lease deed was unproved, and the …

Kuldeep Kumar contested the mayoral election of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation held on 30 January 2024. The presiding officer, Anil Masih, declared the BJP candidate Manoj Kumar Sonkar elected, treating eight ballots cast for the appellant as invalid after marking them with an ink line. Video evidence and physica…

The case arose from an FIR registered under multiple IPC sections and the Witch (Daain) Act after a woman was accused of witchcraft, physically assaulted, verbally abused and publicly disrobed along with another woman. Thirteen persons were named; initially only one was sent to trial, but the Additional Chief Judicial …

The case arose from a motor vehicle accident in 2006 in which T.C. John died, leaving his widow and three daughters as claimants. The claimants obtained a compensation award of ₹4,15,000 with interest from the Motor Accidents Claim Tribunal, and later filed an appeal before the Kerala High Court, which was delayed by 7…

The Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) conducted recruitment for Junior Health Inspector Grade‑II positions and published rank lists, but several vacancies remained unfilled due to overlapping candidates and non‑joining. The State Government, after a Tribunal order, recommended that KPSC expand the rank lists to f…

The appellants were charged under Sections 306 and 34 IPC for allegedly abetting the suicide of their daughter-in-law, who had committed suicide on 20 March 2015 after a family dispute and a court‑ordered mahalokadalat. The prosecution’s case hinged on the claim that the appellants' words at the mahalokadalat on 17 Feb…

The plaintiff, Parswanath Saha, entered into a registered agreement of sale with the deceased predecessor of the defendants for a residential property and paid earnest money. After the predecessor's death, the defendants refused to execute the sale deed, prompting the plaintiff to sue for specific performance. The tria…

The appellant, Mukesh, filed a suit claiming ownership and long possession of a small parcel of land in Madhya Pradesh and obtained a compromise decree confirming his pre‑existing right. The decree was used to seek mutation of the land in his name, but the Collector of Stamps levied stamp duty on the basis of Article 2…

The appellants were employed by the Central Water Commission on part‑time, ad‑hoc contracts as Safaiwalas and a Khallasi from 1993 to 2004, performing essential housekeeping and maintenance functions for more than ten years. After their application for regularisation was rejected by the Central Administrative Tribunal,…

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized large quantities of Tramadol and Zolpidem tablets in multiple operations and arrested Kashif and co‑accused. Kashif applied for bail, which the Delhi High Court granted solely on the ground that the NCB had not complied with Section 52A of the NDPS Act within a reasonable time,…

The appellants, directors of a construction company and employees of a bank, were charged under IPC sections 409, 420 and 120B and the Prevention of Corruption Act for cheating, criminal breach of trust and diversion of funds. The bank had declared the loan a non‑performing asset, recovered part of the amount through a…

The Supreme Court heard an appeal by Shri Mukund Bhavan Trust and its trustees challenging the High Court’s affirmation of a trial court order that rejected their application under Order VII Rule 11(d) of the CPC to dismiss a plaint filed by Shrimant Chhatrapati Udayan Raje Pratapsinh Maharaj seeking declaration of own…

The Supreme Court examined a consumer complaint filed by two trusts on behalf of credit‑card users alleging that banks were charging exorbitant interest rates of 36%‑49% p.a., which the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) had deemed an unfair trade practice and capped at 30% p.a. The Court held that…

The complainant filed an FIR alleging that her husband and his parents-in-law subjected her to cruelty, forced her to consume poisonous food, and caused a miscarriage, invoking sections 498-A, 312, 313 and 34 of the IPC. The appellants filed a criminal application under section 482 of the CrPC seeking quash of the FIR,…

The deceased plaintiff originally filed a suit in 2011 for declaration of title and injunction over certain immovable properties, which the trial court dismissed despite finding her to be the absolute owner because she was not in possession. After her death, her legal heirs appealed and successfully amended the plaint …

The appellant, Abdul Rejak Laskar, purchased a share of land in 1977 but later faced forcible dispossession by the respondents. After a series of title suits and appeals, the appellant sought an imperfect partition of the land under the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886, which was denied by the Additional Deputy …

The complainant lent Rs 7,00,000 to the accused and later received a cheque of Rs 8,45,000, signed by the accused in his capacity as Director of Shilabati Hospital Pvt. Ltd., drawn on the company's bank account. The cheque bounced for insufficient funds and the complainant issued a statutory notice under Section 138 of…

The Supreme Court examined an appeal by NOIDA Toll Bridge Company Ltd. (NTBCL) against a High Court order that halted toll collection on the Delhi‑NOIDA Direct Flyway (DND Flyway). The dispute arose from a 1997 Concession Agreement granting NTBCL the right to build, operate and collect tolls, which a residents' welfare…

The Supreme Court examined whether several foreign banks that had extended loans to Reliance entities could be treated as "financial creditors" of Reliance Infratel Ltd (the corporate debtor) under Section 5(7) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. The dispute arose because the corporate debtor, Reliance Communi…

The appellant, Dwarika Prasad, was unaware of an ex‑parte decree passed against him in 1994 because his former counsel failed to inform him. Upon learning of the decree, he filed a restoration application under Order IX Rule 13 of the CPC on 31‑Oct‑1994, explaining his ignorance and alleging fraud by his previous lawye…

The appellant, Shambhu Debnath, reported that his 20‑year‑old nephew was set on fire by the accused, leading to the nephew's death and the filing of an FIR alleging murder under Section 302 IPC along with other offences. The accused (respondents Nos. 2‑4) sought anticipatory bail, which was initially denied by the Sess…

The Supreme Court heard an appeal by Sugirtha challenging a High Court order that required her to travel 150 km each way every Sunday to hand over her two‑year‑old daughter to the father, Gowtham, for visitation. The parties had been married in 2021, separated shortly after the child's birth, and the mother had filed f…

Giriyappa and others filed a suit for declaration of title and recovery of possession of land. The defendants claimed they had a sale agreement dated 25‑11‑1968 and were in possession of the land under part performance, seeking protection under Section 53A of the Transfer of Property Act. The trial court decreed in fav…

The petitioner, a former BSNL examiner, was removed from service for repeated unauthorized absences and his removal was upheld by the CGIT and the Bombay High Court. He subsequently filed numerous review petitions, special leave petitions, and complaints alleging corruption, all of which were dismissed. In 2021 he file…

The dispute concerned 13.95 acres of land originally owned by Mardan, who died in 1951, before the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 came into force. The appellants (descendants of Puni Ram) claimed exclusive ownership, while the respondents (Mardan’s daughters and their heirs) sought a share. The pivotal question was whether…

The appellant, Ashok Verma, was convicted under Sections 302, 201 and 498A of the IPC for the death of his wife, Pushpa, which occurred in their matrimonial home. He claimed the death was a suicide, pleaded an alibi that he was in a nearby garden, and argued that the non‑rupture of the hyoid bone indicated strangulatio…

Amutha and A.R. Subramanian were married in 2002 but lived apart for more than fifteen years following a series of disputes, including the wife filing a false dowry harassment complaint against the husband. The husband filed for divorce on grounds of cruelty and desertion, which were initially rejected by the trial and…

The appellant filed a civil suit for specific performance which was referred to mediation under Section 89 of the CPC and settled amicably; he sought a full refund of the court fees paid, but the trial court allowed only a 50% refund. He challenged this in a writ petition, arguing that Section 16 of the Court Fees Act,…

The case concerned a dispute over agricultural and house property owned by Sultan Saheb, who died in 1978. The plaintiffs claimed they were entitled to a one‑sixth share as heirs, while the defendants alleged that Sultan had partitioned the land among his sons during his lifetime and later gifted two portions to them. …

The plaintiff, Leela Agrawal, mortgaged her two‑acre agricultural land to the defendant, Sarkar, in 1990 by executing a registered mortgage deed that stipulated a three‑year period for redemption, after which the deed would become an absolute sale upon default. The plaintiff attempted to redeem the mortgage in 1993, bu…

The plaintiffs, heirs of Amin Lal, sued the State of Haryana and the Public Works Department for possession of land on the basis of revenue records, sale deeds and mutation entries. The trial court ruled in favour of the plaintiffs, holding that the State had not proved adverse possession. The State appealed and the fi…

The husband filed for divorce under Section 10(i) of the Indian Divorce Act, 1869 and the wife sought interim maintenance. The Family Court awarded the wife Rs.1,75,000 per month, considering her lack of residence, sacrifice of employment, the husband’s extensive income and property holdings, and the standard of living…

The State of Punjab appealed a High Court order that directed the original sale certificate of auction‑purchased property to be handed over to the purchaser and that the stamp duty deposited by the purchaser be refunded. The dispute arose from the liquidation of M/s Punjab United Forge Ltd., where M/s Ferrous Alloy For…

The respondent, a clerk‑typist of State Bank of India, was due to superannuate on 26‑Dec‑2003 after 30 years of service but was granted an extension until 1‑Oct‑2010. Allegations of loan irregularities led to a suspension in August 2009, but the charge memo initiating disciplinary proceedings was issued only on 18‑Mar‑…

The appellant, Siddique, was charged under Sections 376 and 506 of the IPC for alleged sexual abuse, with the FIR filed in August 2024. He sought anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the CrPC, which the Kerala High Court rejected. On appeal, the Supreme Court noted that the complainant filed the complaint nearly eigh…

The case concerned the recruitment of 1,423 primary teachers in Manipur, where the written test was held in 2006, interviews were delayed, and a premature newspaper publication led to an enquiry and a temporary contract appointment of 1,051 teachers. The official result was finally declared in 2011, but the selection o…

In 2013 a car collided with a 14‑wheeler that had been abandoned in the middle of a highway without any warning lights or markers, killing the car's driver and three passengers while one passenger, Smt. Sushma, survived with injuries. The claimants filed compensation claims under the Motor Vehicles Act against the owne…

The appellant, Santosh @ Rajesh @ Gopal, was convicted for the murder of Narayan Singh based on the recovery of a pistol from his possession and a ballistic report linking the weapon to the fatal bullet. The prosecution’s case relied on a disclosure statement made by a co-accused, which led to the discovery of the pist…

Meera Devi, the owner of a house in Jhansi, filed an eviction suit against tenant Dinesh Chandra Joshi for non-payment of rent. The trial court ordered eviction and payment of compensation, but the High Court later set aside the suit. During the pendency of the appeal, the Supreme Court directed the tenant to pay rent …

M/s Rewa Tollway entered into a BOT concession agreement with Madhya Pradesh Rajya Setu Nirman Nigam Ltd. in 2002, believing, based on executive clarifications, that no stamp duty would be payable. The State later amended the Indian Stamp (M.P.) Act in 2002, imposing a 2% stamp duty on the amount spent by the lessee, a…

The appellants purchased half of a 3.40‑hectare land from respondent No.2 in 1985, and a sale deed was executed on 02‑12‑1985 but remained unregistered due to stamp‑duty deficiency until 14‑06‑2011. Respondent No.2 later executed a second conveyance in 2010 in favour of respondent No.1 for the same land, leading the ap…

Pernod Ricard India, a sub‑licensee under the Madhya Pradesh Excise Act, was issued a demand notice in November 2011 for a penalty on excess loss of foreign liquor during the 2009‑10 license year. The notice sought a penalty calculated at four times the duty, as prescribed by the original Rule 19 of the 1996 Foreign Li…

The appellant, Ramayan Singh, filed an FIR alleging that Respondent No.2 (Vivek Pal) and co-accused Punit Pal violently assaulted his uncle, resulting in the uncle's death. Both accused were charged under multiple IPC sections, the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013 and were initially denied bail by the trial court. The …

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) filed a criminal complaint under Sections 73(a) and 235A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) against the former directors of SBM Paper Mills for non‑compliance with a One‑Time Settlement ordered by the NCLT. The Sessions Judge issued process, but the res…

The trial court acquitted six accused, including A‑1, A‑2 and A‑3, for the alleged murder of Malagounda under sections 302 r/w s.34 IPC, finding the prosecution evidence unreliable and the complainant's testimony contradictory. The State appealed under s.378 CrPC, and the Karnataka High Court reversed the acquittal, co…

The petitioners, both commercial pilots, claimed to have "solemnised" their marriage on 7 July 2021 and obtained a marriage certificate from Vadik Jankalyan Samiti, which was later used to register the marriage under the Uttar Pradesh Marriage Registration Rules, 2017. In reality, no Hindu rites or saptapadi were perfo…

Jadunath Singh appealed against the Allahabad High Court's order granting bail to three convicted murderers—Arvind Kumar, Chandra Kumar, and Rishi Kumar—who were serving life sentences for a 2011 shooting that killed two persons. While in judicial custody, Chandra Kumar and Rishi Kumar murdered a police constable, Ajay…

The appellant, a chartered accountant, was accused of offences under Sections 498A, 406, 384, 420 and 120(B) of the IPC in two FIRs – the first lodged in Hisar, Haryana on 10 Oct 2015 and the second in Udaipur, Rajasthan on 15 Oct 2015, both based on the same allegations. The appellant sought quashing of the second FIR…

The appellants, who created and acted in the web‑series “College Romance”, were charged with publishing obscene and sexually explicit material under Sections 67 and 67A of the Information Technology Act after a complaint that an episode titled “Happily F****d Up” contained vulgar expletives. The High Court upheld the F…

The CBI filed a case alleging that R.C. Sabharwal, a former public servant, owned assets disproportionate to his known sources of income and that his son, Puneet Sabharwal, abetted him. The trial court framed charges under Section 13(1)(e) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 10…

NBCC (India) Ltd. issued a tender for the construction of a weir and awarded the contract to Zillion Infraprojects Ltd. The contract was governed by a Letter of Intent (L.O.I.) which incorporated the tender documents mutatis mutandis but also stipulated that disputes be resolved only in Delhi courts. Zillion invoked th…

The appellant, Tapas Kumar Das, applied for an LPG distributorship at Haripal block, was selected in a draw, and submitted land documents for a showroom. HPCL later cancelled his candidature, alleging the land was in mouza Gopinagar, not the advertised location, and invoked clause 8A(n) of the Unified Guidelines. The a…

The dispute involved two properties originally purchased by Roop Kishore Khanna (RKK) for the joint Hindu family of his father Tek Chand Khanna. After RKK's death, his brother Attar Chand Khanna's (ACK) heirs claimed a 50% share in the Kamla Nagar property, alleging it remained joint family property, while the appellan…

The appellant complained to the district collector in 2021 that respondent No.6 had demanded money to secure a job for his brother, leading to an inquiry that recorded mutual allegations of money‑extraction. Despite being aware of the complaint, respondent No.6 waited three years before lodging an FIR in July 2022 alle…

The applicant‑appellant filed a miscellaneous application seeking clarification of a Supreme Court judgment dated 12 September 2023 in Civil Appeal No. 2085 of 2022, specifically the use of the term “unsecured creditor” in paragraph 20. The Court, after hearing counsel, held that the term should be read as “secured cre…

The Supreme Court examined a partition suit concerning agricultural lands of the late Muthusamy Gounder, where the trial and high courts had rejected the claim of certain parties as coparceners on the ground that the marriage of their mother to the propositus was not proved. The appellants argued that, despite the alle…

Kusha Duruka, accused under the NDPS Act, filed multiple bail applications after his arrest on 3 February 2022. The first bail request was rejected by the Sessions Court, and a subsequent application before the Odisha High Court was also dismissed, while his co‑accused was granted bail. During the pendency of a Special…

Pawan Kumar applied online for a BPCL retail outlet dealership and was selected by draw of lots, offering land owned by third parties that was then subject to a dispute. An unsuccessful contender alleged that Kumar had supplied false information regarding the land ownership, leading the High Court to set aside Kumar's …

The appellants were convicted under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act and ordered to pay a compensation of Rs.74,00,000, with the Sessions Court directing a 20% deposit of that amount. They challenged the deposit condition through a petition under Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which the High C…

The petitioner-wife Rinku Baheti filed a transfer petition seeking to move a pending divorce suit to the Pune Family Court and opposed the respondent-husband Sandesh Sharda's application under Article 142(1) for a decree of divorce on the ground of irretrievable breakdown of marriage. The parties had a brief marriage o…

The appellant, P. Manikandan, was originally convicted of kidnapping and murdering a four‑year‑old girl and sentenced to death, but the Madras High Court acquitted him on the ground of reasonable doubt. The High Court, however, ordered the transfer of the case file to the CBI and directed a de‑novo reinvestigation and …

The Supreme Court examined appeals filed by Allahabad University and its affiliated colleges challenging a Division Bench of the Allahabad High Court that had read down Regulation 10(f)(iii) of the UGC 2018 Regulations, holding it inapplicable to the shortlisting of Assistant Professor candidates. The petitioners argue…

The Supreme Court considered an interlocutory application filed by environmental activist T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad seeking protection for the sacred groves, known as Orans, in Rajasthan. The Court examined the statutory framework, including the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (as amended in 2023), the Wildlife Protect…

The appellant underwent cataract surgery on 19 January 1999 performed by the respondent. In the days following the operation he repeatedly complained of severe pain, pus discharge, headache and loss of vision, but the respondent reassured him and prescribed medicines. The condition worsened and three independent ophtha…

The appellants, licensed distributors of aromatic tincture of cardamom, were prohibited from selling the product by a District Magistrate’s order and subsequent actions of a drug inspector, who classified it as an "alcohol mixed tincture" and a prohibited article. The appellants challenged these restrictions in the Hig…

The claimants, wife and son of the deceased Chakradhar Dubey, filed a motor accident claim after he was injured and later died following a collision between his car and a truck (MP-19-HA-1197). The First Additional Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) awarded compensation of Rs. 50,41,289 against the truck driver and …

The appellant, Siddhant @ Sidharth Balu Taktode, was arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 and remained incarcerated for about five years without being produced before the trial judge on most of the 102 scheduled dates, and without charges being framed. The Special Judge and the High Court…

The case concerned whether pure coconut oil sold in small retail packs (5 ml‑2 L) should be classified as ‘edible oil’ under Heading 1513 of Chapter 15 or as ‘hair oil’ under Heading 3305 of Chapter 33 in the First Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985. The respondents marketed the oil as edible oil, while th…

The appellant, an Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Tax, faced disciplinary proceedings in 2012 for major penalties. The Disciplinary Authority imposed a censure entry and stoppage of two grade increments with cumulative effect. The appellant challenged this before the State Public Services Tribunal, which quashed t…

The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) determined tariffs for aeronautical services, which were challenged before the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). AERA then filed appeals under Section 31 of the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Act, 2008, seeking to contest TDSAT…

The Society for Enlightenment and Voluntary Action, an NGO, filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking comprehensive guidelines for the effective implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA), including the appointment of exclusive Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) and support mecha…

The Supreme Court, in a review petition filed by the Union of India, examined its earlier 2022 judgment that declared certain provisions of the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988 and its 2016 amendment unconstitutional. The Court observed that the original appeal did not contain any challenge to the …

The case concerned Pranav Srinivasan, born in Singapore in 1999 to parents who had renounced Indian citizenship by acquiring Singapore citizenship in 1998. Pranav applied in 2017 for resumption of Indian citizenship under Section 8(2) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, and the High Court held he was entitled to it, but the …

The appellant, Asim Akhtar, was charged with kidnapping and related offences under the IPC and Arms Act. During trial, the victim and her parents were examined-in-chief, but their cross‑examination was delayed after the appellant filed an application under Section 319 CrPC to summon the appellant's parents. The prosecu…

The appellant, a Nepalese national, was arrested in 2015 for allegedly supplying high‑quality counterfeit Indian currency and was charged under Sections 489B and 489C of the IPC and Section 16 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. After more than nine years of incarceration, only two prosecution witnesses …

The Delhi Transport Corporation dismissed a senior officer after a disciplinary enquiry that found seven of eight charges proved, but the enquiry was conducted without any prosecution witnesses or admitted documents. The officer challenged the dismissal, arguing that the Chairman-cum-Managing Director and the Board wer…

SBI General Insurance issued a fire insurance policy to Krish Spinning, which settled the first fire claim by a discharge voucher and payment of Rs 84,19,579. Krish Spinning later disputed the quantum of the settlement, alleging coercion, and invoked the arbitration clause in the policy by filing a Section 11(6) applic…

The appellant was awarded an LPG distributorship in 2014 after a draw of lots, and later sought permission to use alternate land for the godown and showroom, which the corporation approved in 2017. The rival applicant (respondent No.1) filed a writ petition in 2017 challenging this approval, alleging the land was unsui…

Satish Jain sued the State of Madhya Pradesh and a private defendant for declaration, permanent and mandatory injunctions over land owned by the State but allegedly possessed by the private defendant through adverse possession. The trial court had earlier passed an ex‑parte decree in favour of the plaintiff, which was …

The Supreme Court considered an FIR (Case No.227 of 2017) registered in Arunachal Pradesh alleging cheating under sections 420, 120B and 34 IPC in connection with a Rs 1 crore payment for land situated in Rajasthan. The accused contended that the dispute was purely civil, involving a loan or advance for property purcha…

The borrowers defaulted on a loan from Bank of Baroda, which initiated SARFAESI proceedings and conducted an open auction of the mortgaged premises. The appellants, who were tenants of the borrowers, became the highest bidders and were issued a sale certificate, thereby converting their status to owners. The borrowers …

The State of West Bengal appealed against a Calcutta High Court order that quashed the addition of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) offences to an IPC case and set aside extensions of remand. The investigation, conducted by the State police, led the Chief Judge of the City Sessions Court to permit inclusion …

The appellant was summoned after a Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) in Aligarh rejected a police closure report under Section 173(2) CrPC and took cognizance of offences under Sections 147, 342, 323, 307 and 506 IPC as well as Section 190(1)(b) CrPC. The CJM based this decision not only on the protest petition filed by …

The appellant Kirpal Singh was convicted under Sections 302 and 307 of the IPC for the murder of his brother‑in‑law Balwinder Singh. The prosecution’s case relied primarily on the testimony of the victim’s wife, Sharan Kaur (PW‑5), and her son Daljit Singh (PW‑6), who alleged that the appellant acted out of jealousy ov…

The plaintiff, Mohd. Abdul Qasim, claimed title over 106.34 acres of land that had been declared a reserved forest under the Andhra Pradesh Forest Act, 1967. He filed a suit for declaration of title and permanent injunction, but the trial court and the High Court found that the land was forest land and that he had fail…

The appellant was arrested for theft and granted bail, but a police officer (respondent No.2) allegedly paraded him half‑naked, verbally abused him on the basis of caste and physically assaulted him, illegally detaining him for four hours despite bail. An inquiry by the Sub‑Divisional Police Officer found the officer r…

Adani Power Rajasthan Ltd. filed a miscellaneous application seeking a direction that the Rajasthan distribution companies pay a late payment surcharge of Rs.1376.35 crore, alleging that the Supreme Court's earlier judgment on the matter was incomplete. The application was filed after the main appeals (Civil Appeals No…

The Supreme Court earlier ordered the State Bank of India (SBI) to disclose details of electoral bonds purchased and the contributions received by political parties. A Miscellaneous Application was filed seeking to pre‑date the point from which such disclosure must be made. The Court examined the language of sub‑paragr…

The case concerned the murder of two persons in a wine shop in Tamil Nadu, for which appellants Periyasamy (A‑1) and R. Manoharan (A‑2) were convicted under sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code, with A‑2 also under section 109. The trial court relied mainly on the testimonies of three injured witnesses, who we…

The Supreme Court examined bail applications of Satyendar Kumar Jain, a former Delhi minister, and his associates Vaibhav and Ankush Jain, who were charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for allegedly using shell companies to launder approximately Rs 4.81 crore through accommodation entries. The Co…

The appellant was convicted of murdering four members of a family, house‑trespass and attempted suicide, and was originally sentenced to death for the murder under s.302 IPC. The High Court commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment with a direction that the appellant could not be released for 30 years, invoking …

The appellant, a minor at the time of the alleged incidents, accused the respondents of sexual intercourse based on a false promise of marriage, resulting in pregnancy and a forced termination. The FIR and subsequent restatement contained contradictory statements, and medical evidence disputed the claim of an abortion …

The Supreme Court examined a dispute arising from the resolution of Jet Airways Ltd., where the Successful Resolution Applicant (SRA) sought to meet its Rs 350 crore payment obligation by adjusting the last Rs 150 crore tranche against a Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG). The lenders, led by State Bank of India (SBI), h…

The State of Assam and its officials challenged the validity of Rule 63(iii) of the Assam Police Manual, which designates the Deputy Commissioner as the reporting authority for Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) and Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) of District Superintendents of Police (SPs). The respondent…

The appellant was convicted of kidnapping, brutal sexual assault and murder of a four‑year‑old boy and sentenced to death by the trial court, a sentence confirmed by the Gujarat High Court. The Supreme Court examined whether the circumstantial evidence satisfied the golden principles and whether the presumption under S…

The appellant, alleged active member of the Popular Front of India (PFI), was arrested in July 2022 for allegedly planning disturbances during the Prime Minister's visit to Patna. He was charged under several sections of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), but the chargesheet had not been frame…

The appellant, Rajesh Kumar, suffered a motor vehicle accident in which his car overturned and later caught fire due to short‑circuiting while he was attending to an injured co‑passenger. He claimed the full insured sum under his policy, but the insurer denied part of the claim, citing delay in intimation and the vehic…

The dispute arose from commercial shops that were erected on a residential plot in Meerut by the original allottee (Respondent No.5) and his power‑of‑attorney (Respondent No.6) without any sanction under the U.P. Avas Evam Vikas Parishad Adhiniyam, 1965. The shops were later sold to the appellants, who challenged the H…

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (appellant) contracted with M/s S.A. Builders Ltd. (respondent) for construction work, which was not completed and led to a dispute. An arbitrator awarded Rs. 1,70,70,720.80 with simple interest and later issued a clarification on 15 March 2005 regarding post‑award interest, after …

The appellant, a District and Sessions Judge of Rajasthan, was criticised by the Rajasthan High Court for not including a tabular chart of the accused's antecedents in a bail order, as directed in the Jugal Kishore case. The High Court deemed this non‑compliance as indiscipline and possibly contempt, ordering the judge…

The respondents claimed that a 1967 family settlement had demarcated separate shares of land among family members, so the land could not be treated as the holding of a single tenure‑holder for purposes of the Uttar Pradesh Imposition of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1960. The Prescribed Authority ignored the settlement…

The appellant, Vishwajeet Kerba Masalkar, was convicted and sentenced to death for the alleged murders of his wife, daughter and mother, based largely on the ocular testimony of a single injured neighbour (PW‑12) and circumstantial evidence such as a recovered hammer, blood‑stained clothes and CCTV footage. The Supreme…

The deceased Ikhbal was killed in a road accident where his motorcycle was allegedly struck by a car driven by respondent No.2. The appellants, his widow, child and parents, claimed compensation from the car's insurer, but the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal dismissed the claim on the ground that the car’s involvement a…

The case concerns the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which grants citizenship to certain migrants from Bangladesh to Assam based on cut-off dates (before 1.1.1966 and between 1.1.1966 and 25.3.1971). The provision was enacted to implement the Assam Accord. Petitioners challenged it …

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigated a terrorist plot in Jammu & Kashmir and filed a chargesheet on 25 September 2019 under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) 1989. The Special Judge, NIA, refused to take cognizance of the conspiracy charge under Section 120‑B of the Ranbir Penal Code because the req…

Two Civil Judges (Senior Division) in Gujarat challenged the High Court's promotion process, alleging that the recruitment notice of 12 April 2022 applied a seniority‑cum‑merit approach contrary to the statutory requirement of merit‑cum‑seniority for the 65% promotional quota. The petitioners invoked Article 32 of the …

The Supreme Court examined a massive batch of land‑acquisition disputes involving the Government of NCT of Delhi and its agencies versus private landowners, notably M/s BSK Realtors LLP. The core issues were whether the dismissal of a civil appeal by one authority in the first round barred other authorities from filing…

The Delhi Development Authority and other government bodies filed a batch of appeals and petitions seeking condonation of delay for challenging High Court orders that declared land acquisition proceedings under the 1894 Act to have lapsed under Section 24(2) of the 2013 Act. The appellants argued that subsequent judici…

The case concerns a double murder alleged to have occurred on 19 May 2020 when the accused fired indiscriminately at the complainant’s house, killing his two sons and injuring his nephew. The complainant filed an FIR and the accused were charged under several IPC sections; the Allahabad High Court later granted regular…

The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC), a government‑owned company, employed a number of workers who sought regularisation under the Tamil Nadu Industrial Establishments (Conferment of Permanent Status to Workmen) Act, 1981. An Inspector of Labour found that 53 workers had completed the requisite 480 days …

The appellant entered into an agreement to sell land with a power of attorney holder acting for several co‑owners, paid earnest money and obtained extensions for registration of the sale deed. The attorney holder later executed a sale deed in favour of the respondents, prompting the appellant to send a notice and event…

The case arose from a POCSO trial in which the Special Judge conducted the proceedings in extreme haste, denying the accused the opportunity to consult counsel, receive documents, and present a defence, and ultimately imposing a death sentence that was set aside by the Patna High Court and a de novo trial ordered. The …

The appellant, a bonafide purchaser, paid Rs.25,34,350 as stamp duty for a conveyance deed that was never lodged because the vendor had fraudulently sold the property earlier. Upon discovering the fraud, the appellant applied online for a refund of the stamp duty on 22 October 2014 and later filed a written application…

The appellant, Sundew Properties Ltd., was notified by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry as a developer of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and claimed that, under the 2010 Notification inserting a proviso to section 14(b) of the Electricity Act, it automatically became a deemed distribution licensee without needing to …

The landlord, Bijay Kumar Manish Kumar HUF, sued tenant Ashwin Bhanulal Desai for non‑payment of rent on four premises where the lease, executed in 1991‑92, was allegedly forfeited due to arrears. The tenant remained in possession and the landlord sought payment of "monthly occupational charges" at the prevailing marke…

The Government of NCT of Delhi and the Delhi Development Authority filed a batch of review petitions challenging Supreme Court judgments that had dismissed civil appeals and special leave petitions which held land‑acquisition proceedings under the 1894 Act to be deemed lapsed under Section 24(2) of the 2013 Act, relyin…

The petitioners, chartered accountants, challenged the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India's Guidelines dated 08‑08‑2008 that capped the number of tax audits a member could undertake under section 44AB of the Income Tax Act. They argued that the restriction was beyond the Council's competence, vi…

The appellant filed an FIR alleging that the Village Accountant (respondent No.2), a public servant, colluded to create fake land and death documents for illegal gain. The investigating officer sought sanction under Section 197 of the Cr.PC to prosecute the respondent, but the competent authority refused, leading the H…

The petitioner was arrested in Punjab for alleged NDNDPS offences and was granted bail, which was later cancelled by the High Court after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the investigation of related scheduled offences under the UAPA. The Central Government, invoking Section 6(5) and Section 8 of the N…

IDBI Bank conducted an e‑auction of a property on 10 April 2018, where the respondents were the highest bidders and paid 25% of the bid amount. The bank required the balance payment of Rs.1,06,50,000 within 15 days but did not accept the amount, citing a pending CBI complaint and an ED advisory, and later cancelled the…

The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) sought to recover payments from advertising agencies for hoardings, asserting a tax/fee/royalty demand. The agencies challenged the demand, arguing that it was a tax levied without legislative authority under Article 265 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court examined whether the c…

The appellant, Lalu Yadav, was charged under Sections 376 and 313 of the IPC for alleged rape on a false promise of marriage, based on an FIR filed in 2018 for incidents allegedly occurring between 2013 and 2018. The complainant claimed that Yadav had deceived her, established a physical relationship without consent, a…

The case concerned whether a scheduled bank could claim a tax deduction for the broken‑period interest paid when it purchased government securities that are classified as Held‑to‑Maturity (HTM). The bank argued that the securities are stock‑in‑trade, so the broken‑period interest is a revenue expense deductible under S…

The State of Meghalaya challenged two bail orders granted by the High Court to Smt. X, an HIV‑positive accused charged under Sections 21(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act for possession of heroin, including a commercial quantity of 1.040 kg. The High Court had released her on bail solely on the ground of her HIV status, withou…

The Bihar Staff Selection Commission advertised 152 City Manager posts, requiring a minimum qualifying percentage in the written test (32% for women) and awarding additional marks for experience. Respondent No.1, a female candidate with no experience, scored 22.5 out of 70 marks in the written exam, which equals 32.14%…

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation claimed it had acquired the land of Bimal Kumar Shah under Section 352 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980, which it argued gave it power to acquire land for streets and parks. The High Court held that Section 352 does not confer a power of compulsory acquisition and set asi…

The appellants, who were allotted residential plots on land originally designated as a Panchayat Ghar, challenged the cancellation of their allotments initiated 13 years after the allotment under Section 122-C of the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act. The authorities relied on a Lekhpal report alle…

The appeal concerned Mukatlal's challenge to a revenue suit filed by Kailash Chand, the adopted son and legal heir of the Hindu widow Smt. Nandkanwarbai, seeking partition of an unpartitioned joint Hindu family estate under Section 14(1) of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. The Supreme Court examined whether a Hindu wido…

United India Insurance Co. Ltd. issued a Contractor's All Risk policy for a bridge project that collapsed during construction, killing 48 workers. The insurer repudiated the claim, invoking an exclusion clause covering loss due to faulty design, workmanship and construction defects, and relied on a surveyor's report an…

The case arose from a suit for perpetual injunction where the plaintiff claimed ownership of land by natural succession, while the defendants relied on a Will that the trial court held to be suspicious and invalid. The trial court's decree in favour of the plaintiff was set aside by the first appellate court, which gra…

The appellant's land was partially acquired under notifications issued under Section 20(E)(1) of the Indian Railways Act, 1989, and an award was made on 8 February 2010, leaving out a parcel of 0.0624 hectare. The High Court ordered compensation for the left out parcel but limited additional compensation for delay to t…

M/s Shewalkar Developers Ltd. sought permission to construct a health/eco‑resort on Plot Nos. 14/3 and 14/4 in Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, claiming the land was not forest land and that its title, derived from a 1991 sale deed, was unchallenged. The State of Madhya Pradesh contended that the plots formed part of the Pac…

The dispute involved Dani Wooltex Corporation (appellant) and Sheil Properties (respondent) arising from parallel arbitrations concerning a development agreement and a memorandum of understanding. While the arbitration concerning Marico Industries concluded with an award in 2017, the arbitration concerning Sheil's clai…

The appellants were accused under complaints filed under section 44(1)(b) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 and the Special Court took cognizance of the offence under section 4 of the Act without the Enforcement Directorate having arrested them. The Court examined whether the procedural provisions of the …

The review petition challenged a Supreme Court judgment that had held that vesting of village common lands in the Gram Panchayat was complete upon mere assignment under Section 18(c) of the East Punjab Holdings (Consolidation and Prevention of Fragmentation) Act, 1948. The petitioner argued that this view ignored the C…

The appellants, former cabin crew of Air India Limited (AIL), filed writ petitions between 2011 and 2013 alleging stagnation in pay, non‑promotion and denial of allowances, invoking Articles 14, 16 and 21 of the Constitution. While the petitions were pending, the Government of India disinvested its 100 % share in AIL, …

Bhushan Steel (now Tata Steel) filed a suit in the Delhi High Court against several parties, including Arcadia Shipping, alleging non‑payment under a Letter of Credit for galvanized steel shipped from Mumbai to Djibouti. The plaintiff claimed that the cause of action arose in Delhi because the supply order and payment …

The dispute concerned the validity of a Government Order (GO No. 1, 1990) that permitted Technical Assistants, along with Junior Draughting Officers, Draughting Officers and Overseers, to be appointed as Assistant Engineers on transfer after five years of service and possession of a B.E./A.M.I.E. degree. The appellants…

The complainant filed an application under Sections 216 and 319 of the CrPC seeking the summoning and impleadment of two appellants as accused in a case involving offences under Sections 452, 294(b), 323 and 506(1) IPC. The trial court rejected the application, finding no sufficient evidence against the appellants, but…

The former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu, was added as accused No.37 in FIR No.29/2021 alleging massive misappropriation of funds related to skill development projects, invoking offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the IPC. He sought quashing of the FIR and the remand order…

The appellant, a candidate with a 44%/45% speech and language disability, qualified the NEET‑UG 2024 and applied for MBBS admission under the PwD quota. The Designated Disability Certification Centre declared him ineligible based on Appendix H‑1 of the 2019 MCI/NMC regulations, which barred persons with 40% or more dis…

The appellant, Chandramani Nanda, suffered severe head injuries in a motor vehicle accident on 16 January 2014, resulting in 100% functional disability and loss of earning capacity. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded him ₹20,60,385, which the High Court enhanced to ₹30,99,873 by treating his disability as 100% …

The appellant, Ram Prakash Chadha, was charged in a custodial death case (FIR No.371/1993) with offences including murder and criminal conspiracy, and he sought discharge under Section 227 of the Cr.PC. The trial court rejected his discharge application, relying on alleged suspicions that he had facilitated the police’…

The case concerned a long‑standing dispute over pay‑scale disparity between Sub‑Deputy Inspectors of Schools/Assistant Basic Shiksha Adhikaris (SDI/ABSA) and Deputy Basic Shiksha Adhikaris (DBSA) and Headmasters of Junior High Schools in Uttar Pradesh. The State had revised Headmasters' pay in 2001 but not that of SDI/…

The plaintiffs entered into an agreement to sell a Bangalore property in 1981, paying an advance but failing to execute the sale deed within the stipulated three‑month period, citing a government restriction on registration. The defendants sent multiple notices demanding payment of the balance and eventually forfeited …

The respondents filed a suit seeking declaration of ownership and a permanent injunction, alleging a prior compromise that purportedly made them owners of the disputed land. The trial court dismissed the suit, but the first appellate court set aside that dismissal on the basis of alleged settlement statements, a decisi…

The Supreme Court entertained a writ petition under Article 32 filed by the promoters of the Sai Prasad Group seeking the liquidation of the companies' immovable assets to refund investors. The petitioners alleged that SEBI's efforts to auction the properties were inadequate and that the investors had been waiting for …

M/s Punjab Spintex Ltd., a cotton yarn manufacturer, sought exemption from both Market Fee and Rural Development Fee under the Punjab Industrial Policy, 2003, claiming that the policy's exemption of Market Fee automatically covered the Rural Development Fee. The State of Punjab contended that the two fees are levied un…

The appellant, husband of the first accused, filed a private complaint alleging that his wife, while still married to him, contracted a second marriage and bore a child, constituting bigamy under s.494 IPC. The trial court convicted the two accused and sentenced them to one year of rigorous imprisonment and a Rs.2,000 …

The State of Bihar issued a resolution on 1 July 2015, based on the State Backward Commission’s recommendation, to delete the "Tanti‑Tantwa" caste from the Extremely Backward Classes list and merge it with the "Pan/Sawasi" entry in the Scheduled Castes list, thereby extending Scheduled Caste benefits to its members. Th…

The case involved a double murder in 1994 for which ten persons were charged under several IPC sections. One accused, Chhote Singh, was elected MLA in 2007 and the trial court allowed his prosecution to be withdrawn under Section 321 CrPC, citing his good public image, while rejecting similar applications of the other …

The appellant-wife filed criminal and civil proceedings alleging cruelty, hurt and dowry demands by her husband, leading to multiple interim maintenance orders. After nine years of separation, failed reconciliations and pending litigations, the parties mutually agreed that the marriage was irretrievably broken. The Sup…

The husband filed a petition under Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act seeking divorce, and the parties later reached an amicable settlement before a Supreme Court mediator, wherein the husband paid alimony and the wife agreed to dissolve the marriage. The wife subsequently withdrew from the settlement, claiming she wo…

The complainant, a government teacher, alleged that the accused induced him to invest in benami land deals and later failed to deliver the promised plots and profits, leading him to file both a civil suit and a criminal FIR. The accused sought quashing of the FIR and charge sheet, arguing that the dispute was purely ci…

The appellant was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on 3 October 2023 without the arrest memo containing the specific grounds of arrest, only generic reasons. He was presented before a Remand Judge on 4 October 2023 and remanded to police custody, but the copy of the remand application and …

The appellant, Rajendra Kolhe, was convicted of murder under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC for allegedly setting his wife Rekha on fire with the aid of his brother‑in‑law. The conviction was based primarily on Rekha's dying declaration (Ex. 59) recorded in the hospital, which implicated the appellant and …

The petitioners are women Short Service Commissioned Officers who were released from the Armed Forces after fourteen years of service. They sought one‑time pensionary benefits on the basis that, under a Supreme Court order of November 2022, they should be deemed to have completed the twenty‑year qualifying period for p…

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had earlier submitted data on electoral bonds to the Supreme Court, which was kept in sealed custody as per an interim order dated 12 April 2019. The Court later directed the ECI to upload this data on its website, assuming the ECI retained a copy. The ECI informed the Court that …

The appellant was ordered by a Judicial Magistrate to deposit Rs.10,00,000 as interim compensation under s.143A(1) of the Negotiable Instruments Act in a complaint under s.138 for a dishonoured cheque. The appellant challenged the order, arguing that s.143A(1) uses the word "may" and is therefore discretionary, not man…

Bharti Airtel Ltd. filed complaints under Sections 138 and 142 of the Negotiable Instruments Act against Fibtel Telecom Solutions and its two directors, Manju Sukumaran Lalitha and Susela Padmavathy Amma, after several post‑dated cheques were dishonoured. The appellant, Susela, a director but not the authorized signato…

Justice (Retd) Raj Rahul Garg retired as a District Judge on 31 July 2014 and was appointed a High Court Judge on 25 September 2014, retiring from the High Court on 4 July 2016. She filed a petition under Article 226 seeking that her entire judicial service, including the 54‑day gap, be counted for pensionary benefits.…

The appellant, a Class‑IV employee appointed as Ardly, was transferred to the post of Process Server but continued to receive Ardly salary, prompting him to lodge representations alleging salary discrepancy and corruption. The District Judge suspended him and a departmental inquiry was instituted, charging him with usi…

The Supreme Court of India struck down the Electoral Bond Scheme and related amendments to the Finance Act 2017, which had introduced anonymous financial contributions to political parties. The Court held that the scheme violated the right to information of voters under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, as informat…

The dispute arose from a 1963 instrument by which two brothers transferred their share of a family property to their sister-in-law Govindammal. The lower courts held that the instrument was a valid settlement deed granting her a two‑thirds share, while the High Court reversed this, deeming it a gift deed for lack of ad…

The appellant, a 27‑year‑old elected Sarpanch of Sajbahar Gram Panchayat, was removed from office by a Sub‑Divisional Officer on the basis of alleged delays in construction projects, despite her claim that the work order was served after the stipulated period and that delays were due to multiple stakeholders. The appel…

The appellants, representing the original decree holder, sought to enforce a partition decree dated 9 March 1970 that awarded them a share of a one‑acre property in Kerala. The decree was engrossed on stamp paper in 1990 and an execution petition for possession was filed in 1991, resulting in the plaintiff taking posse…

The plaintiff, Rajendra Kumar Gupta, claimed ownership of a 7.60‑acre parcel of land in Mowa village, asserting that he purchased it by a registered sale deed in 1968 and had peacefully possessed it until dispossessed in 1983. The defendants, his cousins, contended that the land was joint Hindu family property, that th…

The appellant Sandeep was convicted by the Sessions Court and affirmed by the High Court for murder under section 302 read with section 34 of the IPC, based on eyewitness testimony that he shot the deceased after being urged by co‑accused. He was acquitted of the Arms Act charges and the co‑accused were also acquitted …

The appellant, Somjeet Mallick, alleged that his truck was hired by the respondents who paid only the first month's rent and thereafter failed to pay the agreed rent, making false promises. A complaint under Section 156(3) CrPC led to the registration of an FIR and cognizance by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, after whi…

Daljit Singh filed a suit on 24‑12‑1992 seeking specific performance of an agreement to sell dated 17‑08‑1990. While the suit was pending, Janraj Singh (defendant No.1) executed a sale deed on 08‑01‑1993 in favour of Shingara Singh (defendant No.2/appellant). The Trial Court dismissed the specific‑performance claim but…